


Cat Troubles

by kiyala



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Familiars, M/M, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-27 03:11:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5031490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Murasakibara is the son of the town's witch and he's never expected to meet a familiar in his life. He certainly never expected familiars to be anything like this infuriating cat shapeshifter, who he cannot stand and definitely doesn't need in his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cat Troubles

**Author's Note:**

> SUPER belated birthday to [Rachel](http://unicornachos.tumblr.com/), the cutest and kindest mushroom in existence.

There is a small house on the edge of town, right by the edge of the woods where the air feels different to normal and the gentlest breeze carries the soft tinkling of hand-made wind chimes made of wood and glass. It's where the local witch lives with her son and they're a mismatched pair, with one short and one tall, one bubbly and the other unfriendly. The town has a rumour that when she was pregnant, the witch made a potion for her son and while it was brewing, whispered into the cauldron that she wished he would be big and strong. 

Atsushi is big—much bigger than anybody ever expected for him to grow, including his mother—his adolescence full of growing pains and awkwardly stumbling around, tripping over his own long limbs. He's much stronger than his mother ever intended too, constantly breaking things, always underestimating the strength of his own grip and crushing them by accident.

In retrospect, his mother will sometimes admit, brewing potions was never her strong point.

The first spell that Atsushi learns is born from necessity: he learns how to repair broken items. Magic has always come to him as naturally as speaking and he's known this spell since he was a toddler, holding his favourite toys together with magic instead of glue, and then sometimes both if he broke them badly enough. 

Sometimes, however, even that isn't enough to fix the things that Atsushi breaks. There's a slowly growing pile at the back of the house, of the things that can't be put back together, no matter how much magic and glue Atsushi uses, and they're kept to be chopped down into firewood and broken up into pieces that are turned into charmed trinkets later.

It is on a particularly bad day in his sixteenth year that Atsushi breaks his favourite desk. He slams his fist down on it in anger and forgets to control the strength of the blow. His desk caves in, the wood splintering as it breaks apart. Atsushi curses loudly in anger, but that doesn't help either; the broken pieces of the table catch fire, smoke slowly filling the room. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Atsushi puts the fire out with the wave of a hand, looking down at the burnt remains of his desk.

Luckily his spell books are undamaged, sitting safe on a bookshelf on the other side of the room. He's lost some writing materials, but more importantly, he's lost his _desk_. It was the perfect height for him without needing modifications, which was remarkable enough as it was, but the polished wood was smooth, cool to the touch and good to write on. He knows better than to try and repair it when it's so badly broken. He can't help but try anyway, the disappointment cutting deep through him as he pours as much magic into the spell as he can, only to find that it's not enough to even make the pieces of the broken table twitch.

"Atsushi?" His mother comes hurrying to check on him, waving at the smoke that still lingers in the room.

"It's fine," he tells her, casting a spell to clear the rest of the smoke. It's really _not_ fine, but it's easier to pretend that It doesn't bother him, because his mother tends to blame herself every single time he breaks something by accident. He doesn't know how to deal with her guilt and the way she apologises for something that she can't change. He shrugs. "It's just a desk. I'll get a new one."

She smiles up at him. "Do you need help carrying this outside?"

"I can do it," Atsushi replies. "Don't worry, everything is fine."

"I'll bake your favourite kind of cake," she tells him, patting his arm. She tends to bake him something sweet every time he accidentally breaks something and if she feels the need to apologise, at least Atsushi prefers that she does it this way.

It's a hassle to get the broken desk out and into the backyard, but Atsushi manages to carry the pieces out. Using magic to move it would be easier, but he honestly doesn't think it's a good idea to use any more magic on the desk than he already has. He's tempted to take the axe to it then and there, just to let his frustration out, but he doesn't want to chop the remains of his desk just yet. He sighs loudly, nudging it with his foot before he goes back inside, grabbing a spell book and sitting in the lounge room to read it, among the smells coming from the kitchen.

The cake, when his mother is finished baking it, does a brilliant job of distracting Atsushi from his broken desk. He eats his way through the entire thing as he learns his new spells, offering to share it with his mother, secretly glad when she tells him that she doesn't want any. In fact, he doesn't think about the desk at all until the sun has gone down and they've finished eating dinner. Atsushi is back in his room and the space where his desk used to be feels a little too empty.

He doesn't know what makes him want to go out into the backyard to check on the table, to see if he can perhaps fix it somehow if he tries again. He gets as far as the steps leading to the backyard when he freezes.

The desk isn't broken any more. It's sitting there, in one piece, looking like it had never been broken at all.

And there's a black cat sitting on top of it.

"What?" Atsushi mutters under his breath. He walks closer, but the cat doesn't move, doesn't even show any sign of being fear. He frowns at it, but he's more concerned by the fact that his desk―the same desk that he couldn't fix no matter how much he tried―is back together again. He can feel the magic involved when he touches it and turns to the cat again, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Did you do this?"

In a puff of smoke, the cat is replaced by a young man. He has hair black as the cat's fur, covering one side of his face. The eye that isn't covered by his hair is grey, his skin is pale and milky, and he has cat ears on top of his head, slit pupils, and fangs that Atsushi can see when he smiles. His body is long and thin, just like the tail that gently waves back and forth as he watches Atsushi. He's utterly beautiful, in a way that definitely isn't human. He _feels_ like magic, and it matches up with the signature that Atsushi can feel when he touches the desk.

More importantly than any of that, he's sitting on Atsushi's desk.

"Yes I did," is the simple reply. "Are you the Atsushi I've heard so much about? You must be; I can feel your magic. I'm Tatsuya. Has anybody told you that your magic feels like a crushing amount of pressure?"

"Only when I'm annoyed," Atsushi replies. "Get off my desk."

Tatsuya laughs, springing to his feet in an elegant motion, resting his hands on his hips. "A simple _thank you_ wouldn't be so bad, you know."

"How did you fix my desk? I couldn't as much as I tried. It's annoying that you could when you're just―a shapeshifter―"

"―I'm a familiar," Tatsuya corrects him. "I'm looking for a witch, actually. I don't have enough magic to do this myself either, but I could feel your spell still lingering so I gave it a little push with my own. That's what familiars do, after all."

Atsushi's eyes narrow. He's heard of familiars before―of course he has―but he's never properly met one before. His mother never had one, and neither have any of the other witches that she knows.

"Are you here to become my mother's familiar, then?" Atsushi regards Tatsuya suspiciously. "I don't know if I want to invite you inside."

"I'm not here for her," Tatsuya replies. "I'm here for you."

If anything, that only makes Atsushi even more suspicious. "I'm not a witch. I'm just―I'm her son."

"You can do magic," Tatsuya points out, his tone patient. "You take work yourself too, don't you? You learn spells. You brew potions. I'm sorry if this comes as a surprise to you but… that's exactly what a witch does."

"How do you know all of that?" Atsushi asks, then thinks of how some of his mother's customers have been asking about a stray cat they've seen wandering about. "Have you been _watching_ us?"

"That's what familiars do," Tatsuya replies, shrugging. "We need to make sure our witches are actually worth our time and effort. I don't want to waste my life by attaching myself to someone without any talent, just to watch my own magic wither away from not being used enough. I'd rather die."

"Has anybody told you that you're exhausting?" Atsushi asks, rubbing a hand over his face. "I'm going to take a nap."

"Are you going to invite me inside, at least?" Tatsuya asks, raising an eyebrow.

"No." Atsushi turns away, going back inside. He figures that he can deal with his desk―and the cat―later. "Bye."

Tatsuya stands there watching him with surprise, his arms folded across his chest. Atsushi locks the back door for good measure.

 

* * *

 

Atsushi sleeps until the morning, roused by the smell of strong coffee and pancakes. He gets out of bed, taking a moment to reorient himself in his room, still feeling strange and empty without his desk, and goes to investigate.

He's met with the sight of Tatsuya sitting at the dining table, a stack of pancakes in front of him along with a tall glass of milk, happily chatting away to Atsushi's mother as she sets more food on the table.

"What," he says blankly.

"Oh, Atsushi, you won't believe it!" his mother beams at him. "I woke up this morning and found that your desk is fixed! There was a cat sitting on top of it—well, not a cat, of course, but—"

"A familiar," Atsushi finishes for her, not taking his eyes off Tatsuya. "We met last night. Did you invite him inside?" 

"Well," Tatsuya smiles, ducking his head and making as if he's shy and polite for Atsushi's mother. "As you know, I can't actually enter other people's houses unless I'm invited and considering that you locked the door on me last night—"

" _Atsushi_ ," his mother scolds. "You met a familiar and you were rude to him? And left him out in the cold? Oh, you poor thing. Let me get you some more warm milk."

Atsushi sits down beside Tatsuya, scowling. Tatsuya gives him a sidelong glance and smirks. His tail waves back and forth, his politeness gone. He seems more like the person Atsushi met last night now, smug and self-confident. 

"You're still here."

"I got a taste of your magic when I repaired your desk," Tatsuya tells him. "It works really well with mine. Not all kinds of magic are immediately compatible like that—it's a familiar thing. If you really want me to leave, I will, but I know that I'm unlikely to find another witch whose magic I click with as easily as I did with yours, and you're unlikely to be found by another familiar who works with your magic as well as I do. This is a mutually beneficial thing, you know. I can make your magic so much better than it already is. I'll even forgive you for leaving me out in the cold last night."

"It wasn't even that cold," Atsushi points out. He presses his lips into a thin line and hums in thought. "You can stay for a day. If I don't see the point after that…"

Tatsuya nods. " _If_ you don't. I'm certain that you'll quickly realise just how far we can go if we work together."

Atsushi isn't particularly convinced. "I've done just fine on my own so far." 

"You say that, but you couldn't fix your desk on your own," Tatsuya points out. "I think that's enough proof that we work better together."

"Like I said. You can stay for the day. We'll see what happens from there."

"That's a good start," Tatsuya agrees, nodding. "I'm curious about the kind of magic you do anyway. Maybe you can show me after we've finished eating breakfast."

Atsushi's mother walks back in with another glass of milk, which she places in front of Tatsuya, and a tall stack of pancakes for Atsushi.

"How do you eat that much?" Tatsuya asks, looking at him in amazement.

Atsushi shrugs, cutting his pancakes up and covering them in syrup. Tatsuya watches on, reaching over experimentally. Atsushi moves reflexively, knocking his hand away. With a surprised hiss, Tatsuya pulls his hand back, looking down at it.

"That _hurt_."

"Atsushi!" his mother cries out in surprise. She looks between him and Tatsuya. "I'm sorry, he—"

"I'm going to eat in my room," Atsushi decides, picking up his plate and leaving. He gets all the way to his room before remembering that his desk isn't there any more. He sighs heavily, too stubborn to go back, and sits on the floor instead, leaning back against his bed and balancing his plate on his knee. He eats quickly—he always has—and stays where he is for a while longer, just so that he doesn't have to deal with Tatsuya. He can't think of a single thing that would make him want Tatsuya to stay for any longer than a day. It doesn't matter that he might never cross paths with another familiar; his mother never had one. No other witch he knows has. They can't possibly be that big of a deal.

"Are you sulking?" a voice comes from his doorway and he looks up to find Tatsuya standing there, arms folded across his chest.

"Go away, I don't want to talk to you."

"Your mother told me about the potion she made for you," Tatsuya says, ignoring him. "About how you keep misjudging your own strength and breaking things because of it. Is that how you ended up breaking your desk? Except no, it was burnt too, wasn't it?"

"I got annoyed," Atsushi tells him. "That doesn't usually end well. Speaking of which, I really want you to leave, so you should do that before I start getting annoyed at you too."

"Are you threatening me?" Tatsuya laughs. "I don't scare that easily, I'm sorry. You'll have to try a little harder. You're tall, maybe you should try towering over me instead of just sitting there."

Atsushi puts his plate down, casting a quick spell to clean it up. He gets up, pushing past Tatsuya, grabbing his arm on the way.

"What—oww—!" Tatsuya protests as Atsushi drags him through the house and into the backyard. He stumbles when Atsushi lets go of him, rubbing his shoulder. "That hurt."

"Don't come back inside," Atsushi tells him. "I'll crush you if you do."

"There are plenty of other witches out there," Tatsuya snaps. "I don't _have_ to stay here and wait for you to get over yourself, you know."

"Good," Atsushi replies. "Go find someone else to bother instead, then. I don't need you to stay around for a whole day to know that you annoy me. This whole thing is too troublesome. You should just go."

Tatsuya doesn't wait to be told twice. He narrows his eyes and turns away, shifting back into cat form and leaving, slipping in between the trees at the end of the yard.

"Atsushi?" his mother comes outside. "What happened?"

"I told him to leave," he replies, shrugging. "He annoyed me too much."

She sighs. "Familiars are special, you know. They're an important part of the magic community. It's not often that they just pick a witch to attach themselves to out of nowhere. They usually end up with witches from well-established families. I never even thought that a familiar would find you all the way out here and now…"

"I don't care," Atsushi replies. "He was annoying. It wouldn't have been fun to work with him, no matter what he could do. Besides, I can do magic on my own just fine. The same way you do."

"If you're sure about it," his mother says with an indulgent smile. "You know I'm not going to tell you what to do. You're perfectly capable of making your own decisions."

Atsushi nods gratefully, turning to the desk, still sitting out in the backyard from when Tatsuya repaired it. The transportation spell he casts to move it back into his room is slightly complicated because he needs to put extra magic into it to make sure the desk is oriented properly when it appears in his room. This time, however, it feels almost as if the spell is weaving itself together, and the desk is gone before he even realises. Atsushi blinks with surprise, recognising the traces of Tatsuya's magic still hanging in the air. His mother smiles but says nothing, turning around to walk back inside.

The problem is, now Atsushi is curious. He goes to his room, pleased to find his desk back where it usually is. He places his hand flat on the surface of it, concentrating on finding the remaining traces of Tatsuya's magic. Sensing magic is always a strange thing because Atsushi knows that it's an incorporeal thing, more energy than anything else, but concentrating on it makes it feel like it's something with physical form. Tatsuya's magic feels like the soft, warm brush of a cat across Atsushi's hand, leaving his skin tingling in its wake. 

Atsushi tries the spell he was struggling to learn yesterday: it's a difficult one with multiple layers to it, the way most advanced hearth magic is. He knows all the basic components of it, but it's a waste of time to do it all one by one when he can just make an entire room tidy itself with the one spell. It's hard to muster the magic and concentration required, and harder still to figure out how much he needs of it when he's never successfully cast the spell before. 

With Tatsuya's magic still warm against Atsushi's hand, the spell feels like it's casting itself, just like it did before with the transportation spell. He watches in surprise as his bookshelf rearranges itself into alphabetic order instead of the books just being crammed wherever Atsushi finds the space. The charms that line the top shelf stand upright again and even his bed is made properly, his pillow fluffed. There's not a single speck of dust on the floor and Atsushi hums, impressed. He wasn't expecting _this_ much from the spell and as much as he hates it, he knows that it's because of Tatsuya's magic too.

Maybe they could work something out, he thinks to himself, where they can work together without actually having to see or speak to each other. Except it's a moot point anyway because Tatsuya's already gone. The least Atsushi can do is take advantage of the magic still lingering before it fades away entirely—and try not to get used to it in the meantime.

 

* * *

 

Tatsuya's magic is gone by the next morning. Atsushi feels its absence keenly and it's unexpected. He didn't even notice himself getting so used to it in the first place, especially when he was actively trying not to. It's annoying and he spends the morning stomping around the house in a foul mood, breaking things more often than usual and then fixing them again. His mother sends him out into town to get him out of the way as she sets up shop for the day, sitting in their lounge room with her charms and spell books out for her appointments. 

"Take a day off. Walk around. You need a break," she tells him. "I'll give you a list of some things I need while you're out, but do that last, okay? Why don't you go to the bakery? The baker always likes it when you visit."

Atsushi gets as far as the town centre, but he isn't in the mood to go to the bakery. It's hard to go anywhere without being noticed because of how much he stands out, and it's exhausting being stopped every few steps by someone asking after his mother or inviting him in for a snack. He really isn't in the mood for company today, but it's so strange for him to turn down their invitations and food that he then needs to spend extra time reassuring everyone that he's fine, that he isn't feeling unwell and they don't need to worry.

This entire thing is Tatsuya's fault, he thinks to himself angrily as he ducks into the florist for the specific potion ingredients his mother had written down for him. Fukui, the apprentice florist, is around Atsushi's age and they've played together often along with Okamura, the baker's son. Of all the children in town, the two of them were always the least bothered by the fact that Atsushi would be so clumsy and prone to breaking things. For a while there had been Liu too, but his parents were travelling merchants and they haven't seen each other for years.

"You're in an awful mood today," Fukui remarks, taking the handwritten list out of Atsushi's hand and walking around the shop, taking cuttings from plants as he goes. "I've got a pot of tea brewing already. There's enough for you too, if you want."

Atsushi lets out a noncommittal hum. "I'm not really in the mood—"

"Okamura dropped cookies off earlier," Fukui adds and Atsushi falls silent immediately.

Okamura's cookies are a thing of wonder, soft and sweet and just the perfect size to snack on. Rumour is that Okamura's hoping to win the heart of a beautiful girl someday with just how good his cookies are. Atsushi doesn't really know if that's going to work but at the very least, he's won himself a steady stream of loyal customers. That has to count for something.

"So tell me," Fukui says, pouring their tea and surrendering most of his cookies to Atsushi. "What has you trudging around town and moping? I heard from my last customer than you actually turned down an invitation to visit them and eat their food. Something must _really_ be bothering you if you're not in the mood for that."

Atsushi shrugs. "I just didn't feel like talking to anyone. I still don't, by the way."

"Do you want me to get Okamura?" Fukui asks, and it's half a threat. As easy as it is to tease Okamura, they all know that he cares a lot. He's observant and he's a good listener. If he's feeling _particularly_ caring, it's difficult to make him stop without telling him everything that's wrong. 

"You don't need to get Okamura," Atsushi mutters, shaking his head. "Everything's fine. I'm just… having cat troubles."

"Cat troubles," Fukui repeats, blinking. "You realise how weird that sounds, right? _Cat troubles_. Is this a magic thing?"

"Yeah." Atsushi sighs heavily. "It's a really stupid magic thing."

"Well," Fukui says, "I don't really know how to help with that, but I did notice a stray cat wandering around town recently, if that's related."

"A black one," Atsushi nods. "He's been gone since yesterday, though."

"No?" Fukui frowns. "I mean, I only saw the cat for the first time this morning. You're right though, it was black. With grey eyes, I think."

"Excuse me," Atsushi says, immediately getting to his feet. "You said that you saw the cat this morning? Do you remember where?"

Fukui frowns. "Uh… I think it was near the entrance of the woods, on the east side of town? Near the pond over there."

"I need to go," Atsushi tells him, draining the cup of tea in front of him and stuffing two more cookies into his mouth. "Thanks."

He picks up the basket of plant clippings for his mother, placing the money for them on the counter and leaves with a wave. He walks to the east side of town, where the path into the woods begins. It's the same woods that wrap around half the town, bordering it in dense trees. The part of it that runs along Atsushi's backyard is thicker, more imbued with magic than what most of the townsfolk would be able to handle. The woods have magic of their own, filled with redirection spells that don't get wanderers lost so much as turn them around and around on themselves enough that they end up back in town again. 

The part of the woods that Fukui can walk in is very shallow, just near the entrance of it. If the cat is Tatsuya, Atsushi has no doubt that it would be able to go whenever it wanted among the wood, but it doesn't hurt to start near the entrance. Not that Atsushi is searching for Tatsuya in particular. He's just curious, because he knows that Tatsuya was meant to have left by now, on his way to find another unfortunate witch to attach himself to. And it's not that he's in a particular hurry, either. He can't help the fact that his legs are long and that he can cover distances quickly.

The mouth of the woods is quiet and peaceful, in a way that the more magical parts of it aren't. Atsushi remembers getting lost once as a child and coming across an entire nest of pixies, their chattering voices loud and high-pitched, like talking insects. He can see the glow of the wood sprites against the dense trees in the distance, invisible to those without magic but invaluable guides to those who _can_ see them. Atsushi follows their gentle glow, stepping off the trail worn down by frequent travel and slipping in between the trees instead.

He can definitely feel magic in the air here and it's not the usual feeling of the wood's magic. It's too faint for Atsushi to pick up on a magical signature though but by this point, he feels familiar enough with Tatsuya's magic that if it _is_ him, it won't take long to identify it once it gets stronger. 

He hears a cat meow in the distance. He doesn't know Tatsuya's cat form well enough to recognise it immediately, but Atsushi follows the sound anyway. Twigs snap underfoot as he walks and Atsushi steadies himself on trees as he walks past them, hoping that he'll be able to find his way back home later. At least, in the worst case scenario, he _has_ made sure to learn a spell to guide him home since the last time he was lost here.

Atsushi stops when he gets to a small clearing, just by one of the streams that runs through the woods. There are large rocks bordering the water and there's a black cat sitting on one of them, tail swaying slowly. It makes no reaction as Atsushi steps on yet another twig, walking closer.

He can feel the magic much stronger now and it _is_ Tatsuya's. It gives Atsushi a strange feeling, like something settling in his chest. He puts his hands in his pockets as he walks closer, because he can't decide whether or not he wants to reach out.

"I thought you'd be long gone by now," he calls out, glad that Tatsuya's back is turned so that he can't see the relieved smile tugging at Atsushi's lips. "What's the matter? Don't tell me you got too attached to my magic already. After everything you said about finding someone else. That's embarrassing."

"Actually," Tatsuya's voice comes from the trees beside Atsushi, making him turn. Tatsuya is sitting perched on a branch, arms folded across his chest, amusement clear in his one visible eye. "It's embarrassing that _you're_ so happy to see me when you're the one who told me to leave."

What…?" Atsushi looks back at the cat on the rock, frowning as it fades out of existence.

"I'm good at illusions," Tatsuya explains, leaping to the ground and landing gracefully on both feet.

"So you didn't leave to find someone else after all," Atsushi comments.

"I stayed around for a while longer to see what you'd do. And apparently the answer to that is that you'd roam through the woods looking for me, based on a rumour. I think that's quite interesting."

"You couldn't leave either," Atsushi points out. "I think we're both even here."

With a smile, Tatsuya inclines his head. "I do have to admit that you're right, there."

"I'll give you another day," Atsushi offers, though he already knows that he won't be sending Tatsuya away again. "A full day, this time. What do you say?"

Tatsuya smiles wider. "We have a deal. Lead the way."

 

* * *

 

They don't get home until the late afternoon, when Atsushi's mother is done with all of her appointments for the day. She stares in surprise as Tatsuya walks in behind Atsushi, then beams widely.

"Welcome back, both of you. I'll make some coffee for everyone."

Tatsuya is looking around in wonder, like he's never seen the place before. Atsushi frowns at him.

"You were here yesterday."

"Yes, but this is the first time _you've_ invited me inside," Tatsuya replies. "It's completely different. It's something to do with being invited into personal spaces, I think. When someone invites you to enter a place, it's like you experience the place the way it feels to _them_. Your house feels different to you than it does to your mother. She moved here, before she had you. It feels like new beginnings to her, but you were born here, weren't you? When you invite me in here, it feels like… home."

"Home," Atsushi repeats with hushed awe. It's a strange but wonderful thought, that someone else can experience what he feels when he's at his house.

"It's an odd concept for me," Tatsuya tells him with a small laugh. "For all familiars who don't have a witch yet, I suppose. We move from place to place, trying to find the right sort of person. Obviously, our choices aren't exactly limited, considering how many witches go without familiars at all, but the pickier we are, the longer it takes. I wanted to find someone whose magic worked with mine, like two pieces of a puzzle that just fit together effortlessly. So I kept searching, while other familiars I know have been settled with witches for some time already. I haven't really had the one place to call home in that time, so… this is a pleasant feeling."

"Well…" Atsushi clears his throat, not quite looking Tatsuya in the eye. "If you're my familiar, that means my home is your home too, doesn't it?"

"If I make it past the one-day trial, you mean," Tatsuya points out with a smile. He's probably worked out that he's going to stay, but he's humouring Atsushi anyway. Atsushi appreciates it. 

"Yeah. If I decide that you can stay, and you decide that you want to stay… then this becomes your home too."

Tatsuya ducks his head, but Atsushi catches his smile anyway. "That would be nice."

Atsushi's mother returns with a tray of coffee mugs for all of them. The smile on her face tells Atsushi that she's most likely overheard their entire conversation but luckily, she makes no mention of it. 

"I want to try more spells," Atsushi says, once their mugs are empty. He's standing by the sink, washing them while Tatsuya dries them. His mother is out visiting a friend and Atsushi can't quite explain why, but he doesn't feel as comfortable talking to Tatsuya about this in front of his mother. Perhaps it's because he knows that she's excited about this and he doesn't know what she's expecting, but he doesn't want her to end up disappointed.

"Me too," Tatsuya agrees. "It's one thing to use the traces of your magic to boost mine, but if we're actually casting a spell together, I think that would feel entirely different."

Atsushi hums in agreement. "It would be interesting."

"You have spell books, don't you?" Tatsuya asks, once they've put the mugs back into their cupboard. "We could have a look through and find something that we both want to try. How are you with brewing potions? I want to try that too."

"I'm good at potions," Atsushi replies, nodding. "It's like cooking, right? I'm good at cooking, so I'm good at potions too."

Tatsuya smiles. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me at all. What do you want to do first?"

"Let's try a spell," Atsushi decides, leading the way to his room. He pulls a spell book off his shelf and hands it to Tatsuya. "What kind of magic are you good at?"

"Illusions, as you saw before. Anything to do with transformation comes to me easily, too. I think that's part of being able to shapeshift, but it's why I could fix the desk, with the help of your magic. If you think about it, repairing things with magic is just transforming them from their broken state to how they were before, right? Maybe if the desk wasn't also burnt, we could have managed to put it back together without each other. I'm guessing that you're particularly good at fixing things too."

Atsushi nods, and it feels odd to be proud of it when the reason behind it is that he's always breaking things, but it's something that he's mastered all the same. That's something to be happy about, at the very least. 

"So why don't we try another kind of magic instead?" Tatsuya suggests. "We can challenge ourselves a bit. See how well our magic works together when it's something that doesn't come easily to us already."

"I tried some hearth magic," Atsushi tells him, "and that also worked well. We should try something different to that, too."

"Why don't we try some weather magic, then?" Tatsuya asks, flipping through the spell book. "A weather spell over the whole town. That sounds pretty challenging, right? We could really push ourselves with that. It's been a bright, sunny day so far so why don't we make it storm? With wind and thunder and lightning."

Atsushi snorts quietly. "You really like being dramatic, don't you? That's fine with me. A storm sounds like fun."

They pore over Atsushi's spell book together until they find the right one. It needs some modifications to it if they're going to cast it over the entire town, but it's nothing too complicated with them working together. The most challenging part of the spell is going to be making sure that the storm builds steadily, instead of blowing in all at once. It's going to take patience and precise control, and Atsushi has never been particularly good at either. Tatsuya balances that out, however, so Atsushi gives him control of that part of the spell.

They sit out on the porch, where they can watch the sky as they cast the spell together. Atsushi hums with satisfaction as he watches the clouds gathering at the edges of town, slowly rolling in as the wind picks up, rustling through the trees and making his mother's chimes jingle. 

"The air smells nice before a storm, doesn't it?" Tatsuya asks with a smile, shutting his eyes and inhaling deeply.

Atsushi follows suit, because he's never really put much thought into it before, but Tatsuya's right. He can smell the coming rain and it mixes with the way their magic feels, combined like this. It's breathtaking, in a way that Atsushi has never felt before. It makes sense now, why Atsushi's mother had stressed the importance of familiars. Doing magic on his own is one thing, but doing magic with Tatsuya is entirely different. 

He opens his eyes to find Tatsuya watching him curiously. The sky is dark now and they watch each other silently, their faces briefly illuminated by the first flash of lightning. Tatsuya's ears and tail seem fluffier, and Atsushi is filled with the sudden urge to reach over to pet them.

"You know," Atsushi speaks up. "We don't really have a spare room or anything like that."

"What?"

"If you're going to stay," Atsushi clarifies. "The house isn't very big but you'll need your own space, won't you?"

Tatsuya smiles. "It's okay. I don't take up a lot of space. I can sleep in cat form anyway, and I'm used to making do with whatever I can get. It's not a big deal."

Atsushi shakes his head. "Just because you're used to it, doesn't mean you need to keep doing it. You wanted the feeling of a _home_ , right? I want you to feel that too. You need your own space somewhere, even if you're happy to sleep as a cat. We could get some wood and make an extension to the house for you. We could do that kind of magic together if we had the right kind of building material…"

With a soft laugh, Tatsuya tilts his head. "You're a kind person, Atsushi."

"Not really. I just want you to be comfortable. I don't think that's really so special."

"If you say so." Tatsuya turns to look at the sky again. "Our storm's coming along beautifully. I think it could last for a while at this rate. …Oh, is that your mother walking through the rain?"

"We forgot to wait for her to come home before we cast our spell," Atsushi realises. "Oops."

Luckily, she's more excited about their spell than upset about being caught in the rain. She has a spell to keep the rain from falling on her anyway and she's beaming at them both, telling them how proud she is. 

"Your magic is going to be even better than mine before you know it!" she tells them, laughing. "The townsfolk will end up having to come to you for their spells instead, while I take care of the simple things. Maybe after you've both settled with each other a little more, you can start taking some of the jobs when I set up shop for the day? That way we can get through more of them and it'll be a good way for both of you to develop your skills a bit more. One day, I'll end up handing this town over to you to take care of anyway. The townsfolk will need to get used to your magic before then."

"That sounds like fun," Tatsuya murmurs, turning to Atsushi. "What do you think?"

"Well, if you want to…" Atsushi shrugs, pretending that he isn't just as eager. Judging by the way Tatsuya grins at him, it doesn't quite work, but Atsushi finds that he doesn't really mind.

 

* * *

 

There's a lot that changes in Atsushi's life in the month that follows. It's not just to do with developing his magic either; having Tatsuya become a regular part of his life means that there's a lot for Atsushi to adjust to.

The house feels a little busier with Tatsuya around too. They don't end up making an extension to the house because the moment Atsushi mentions it to his mother, she laughs and rearranges her bookcases in the room she uses as her library. There's enough space for Tatsuya to set up a bed and a desk there, and he insists that it's all he needs, that it's _more_ than enough, but Atsushi can see the way it makes him happy.

Tatsuya usually sleeps in cat form anyway, curled up at the foot of Atsushi's bed more often than not. Atsushi is surprised by how much he likes it and just how easily he's grown close to Tatsuya. Perhaps it makes sense, when Tatsuya is _his_ familiar and as they combine their magic more often, they start to get used to each other. 

They work well together, balancing each other out while still continuing to push each other. Tatsuya doesn't let Atsushi get away with pretending not to care about things, and it's difficult to refuse things that they both want. Tatsuya is good for him, in a way that Atsushi had never expected. Tatsuya helps him grow, teaches him to be more self-reliant, to identify when he doesn't _have_ to be. 

Most of all, Atsushi is surprised by how much he _likes_ Tatsuya. Being close to him is one thing, but this is an entirely different matter altogether. Atsushi treasures Tatsuya's smiles like they're precious things and it doesn't even matter than Tatsuya smiles often; each and every one is precious all the same.

"Hey, Atsushi," Tatsuya speaks up one morning, when they have a day off from taking appointments with the townsfolk. "I want to show you something."

"Oh?" Atsushi blinks. "What is it?"

"It's a surprise," Tatsuya grins, wide enough that Atsushi can see his sharp teeth. He takes Atsushi's hand, pulling him in the direction of the kitchen. "You'll see soon enough."

Atsushi _has_ noticed that Tatsuya has been a little secretive over the past few days, keeping to himself and flipping through Atsushi's mother's old books when they would usually be spending time together. Not that Atsushi particularly minds; he's introduced Tatsuya to his friends in town and while they usually go over to visit Fukui and Okamura together, Atsushi is happy to go alone too. They need their own space, after all.

Still, Atsushi has been curious for a while now, and he's eager to find out what Tatsuya's been keeping from him. 

Tatsuya is slow to let go of Atsushi's hand when they get to the kitchen. There's the usual stove that they use to cook on, set against the wall, but there's another one in the corner, with a cauldron on it, for brewing potions. There's something already in it: a dark purple potion that smells sweet, like cakes and candy. Atsushi leans over it, breathing in deeply. He can feel Tatsuya's magic coming from it and he raises an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. 

"I've been thinking about the potion that your mother brewed for you, to make you so big and strong," Tatsuya tells him. "I've been wondering if there's a simpler solution than just having you fix things every time you break them. I mean, it's worked out pretty well so far, considering just how good you've become at those kinds of spells, but… I wanted to try this potion."

"Does it taste as sweet as it smells?"

"I haven't actually tasted it myself," Tatsuya replies. "I made it for you, specifically to counter the effects of your mother's potion. She helped too, of course, but we couldn't actually test to see if it works, when you're the only one it's meant to work on."

"You made a potion specifically for me?" Atsushi asks, smiling.

"It won't work as a one-off, I'm afraid, so I made lots that we can store. I think that drinking a little bit every morning should do the trick for that day, though. Do you want to try it?"

Nodding, Atsushi watches as Tatsuya transfers a small amount into a cup and hands it to him. Atsushi drains the entire thing in one gulp and hums, pleased. "That tastes very nice."

"You should see if it works," Tatsuya suggests, picking up a bowl and giving it to Atsushi. "You'd usually be able to break this without too much effort, right? Why don't you see if you can break it this time?"

Atsushi tries, tightening his grip on the bowl with one hand, then both. He doesn't crush it, even when he tries to. 

"Oh…" he blinks down at the bowl. He feels relief at first, but it quickly grows into something more than that. He's _happy_ , he realises. Ridiculously happy over the simple fact that he's managed not to break something, but it means a lot to him all the same. "Thank you. I can't believe I never thought of making a potion myself."

Tatsuya laughs. "Sometimes you just need an outside perspective, right? I'm glad that I could help. We might need to play around with dosage until we figure out what works best, but I'll keep the potion in bottles for now and make more once you run out. Making it a second time is going to be much easier, too. It won't take me days and days of experimenting until I got everything right. Your mother even asked me to write the recipe down in one of her potion books. I didn't really know what to call it, so I just went with _Atsushi's Potion_."

"Atsushi's Potion." With a smile, Atsushi puts his cup down. "I like that."

"I'm glad."

"You know what else I like?" Atsushi asks, reaching for Tatsuya's arm, fingers wrapping around it. "I can do this without worrying about breaking you now."

Tatsuya snorts quietly. "Please, you've never broken me before. That one close-call—"

"Was enough," Atsushi interrupts. "I've never wanted to grab you and nearly break your arm again. But with this potion…"

"…You won't have to wait for me to initiate all the touches?" Tatsuya asks, looking up at him. He covers Atsushi's hand with his own, squeezing gently. "Good. You don't have to be scared of hurting me or anything like that now, okay? You can touch me whenever you want."

Atsushi looks away. "When you say it like that…"

"I'm aware of exactly what it sounds like," Tatsuya replies. His tails is swaying back and forth restlessly, his cat ears not quite pinned but twitching back every now and then. He waits for Atsushi to meet his eyes and says, "I'm still waiting, Atsushi."

Taking hold of Tatsuya's shoulders, Atsushi bends to kiss him. It's light and brief, but Tatsuya kisses back when they pull apart, chasing Atsushi's lips with his own. Tatsuya's kisses are firm and confident, like he knows exactly what he wants and isn't going to hesitate over it, the way Atsushi has been for the past week. Distantly, Atsushi wonders when they switched position and he became the type of person to overcomplicate things instead of Tatsuya. Perhaps they've been spending too much time together, but Atsushi doesn't suppose that's about to change any time soon and he's perfectly fine with that.

"I like you," he says, because at least he's still blunt about this sort of thing. "Not just as familiar. Is this a normal thing, between witches and familiars?"

"It's common enough," Tatsuya replies, pressing more tiny kisses to Atsushi's lips. "I think your mother has kind of been expecting it."

"How embarrassing," Atsushi grumbles. "Is that why she leaves us alone so often?"

"Well, I'm not about to complain about that," Tatsuya murmurs, pulling Atsushi into another kiss. "We might as well take advantage of it, right?"

When Atsushi's mother comes home later to find them both with swollen lips and tousled hair, she gives them both a knowing look and then laughs loudly when they squirm with discomfort.

"Neither of you have ever been particularly subtle, have you?" she asks, still chuckling to herself. "Maybe that's the next thing you can work on together, hm? Either way, you both look happy. That's enough for me." 

"Yeah," Atsushi says quietly, resting his hand on Tatsuya's back with a small smile. "I _am_ happy."

Tatsuya grins, leaning into Atsushi's touch. "Me too."


End file.
